The paper ballots from Mexico's disputed July 2 presidential election will be destroyed under the order of the Federal Electoral Tribunal , despite objections from President-elect Felipe Calderon who wanted the ballots preserved in an effort to strengthen public confidence in his controversial victory. In a letter to Calderon, the electoral court said it made [...]
The government of Pakistan has delayed introducing legislation that would change Islamic rape and adultery laws after a deal with Islamist parties over a watered-down version of the 2006 Protection of Women Bill fell through, according to Pakistani officials Thursday. Earlier this month, members of an Islamist alliance threatened to quit the Pakistan parliament over [...]
The US House of Representatives Wednesday passed the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 , legislation that provides for the creation of a website to allow the public access to information regarding companies which receive government contracts and grants. The new measure, which was approved by a voice vote, calls for the Internet [...]
The investigating officer presiding over preliminary hearings for a US Marine accused of kidnapping and murdering an unarmed Iraqi civilian has recommended that the Marine face court-martial on murder charges, the Marine's lawyer said Wednesday. US Marine Corps Pfc. John Jodka III is accused of firing the deadly shots in the April 26 death of [...]
The Australian Senate on Thursday debated a proposed bill to remove power from the federal executive to overturn laws passed by the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) federal district. The new bill was proposed after Australia Governor-General Michael Jeffrey allowed the federal government to effectively veto the controversial Civil Unions Bill 2006 , which the ACT [...]
Abdullah al-Amiri, the Shiite judge presiding over the second Saddam Hussein trial , said in court Thursday that he did not believe Hussein should be called a dictator, just one day after the prosecution requested that al-Amiri remove himself from the case for reasons of bias. In an exchange with Hussein during the questioning of [...]
Migrants, asylum seekers and refugees face deportation and human rights abuses in Libya, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a new report released Wednesday. The monitoring group found that Libya has repatriated 145,000 foreigners between 2003 and 2005, despite the possibility that they will face persecution or torture in their home countries. Migrants, mostly from [...]
A court in Indonesia Thursday convicted a fourth man of being involved in the October 2005 bombings of three restaurants in Bali which killed 26 civilians and injured over 100 people. The Denpasar district court sentenced Anif Solchanudin to 15 years in prison for his role in helping to plan the attacks. The former cell [...]
JURIST Guest Columnist John Bickers of Chase College of Law, Northern Kentucky University, says that for all the attention being paid to the procedures proposed for new US military commissions, how those procedures are used – who is to be tried, and when – is a far more vital issue… Since President Bush’s September 6 [...]
Netherlands Minister of Justice Piet Hein Donner Wednesday defended controversial comments he made during an interview suggesting that if a large majority of the Dutch people wanted to be ruled by Islamic law, then that couldn't be legally prevented. The comments drew intense criticism from opposition politicians who have opposed the potential implementation of what [...]
